


Like You Made Me Feel When We Were 18

by allmylovesatonce



Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-25
Updated: 2017-09-25
Packaged: 2019-01-05 03:17:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 20,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12181863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allmylovesatonce/pseuds/allmylovesatonce
Summary: Amy and Jake were the perfect couple all through high school until suddenly, they broke up. Twelve years later they're running into each other for the first time, realizing how much they've changed and maybe finding things that haven't changed at all.





	Like You Made Me Feel When We Were 18

Amy got to the apartment later than she'd planned. She'd originally planned to be a little bit late because Kylie told her she didn't want her help setting up. But she hadn't accounted for traffic and now she was way later than her already planned late arrival. Having just moved back to New York, Amy was still getting used to it again. So by the time Amy arrived, the party was in full swing. 

Amy was welcomed by a wall of sound made up of music, yelling, laughter, and cheers. Thankfully, Kylie was near the door when Amy entered. “Amy!” she yelled. “You made it!” 

“Yeah, sorry I’m late!” Amy replied. “Still not used to New York traffic.”

“Doesn't matter. You're here!” Kylie screamed over the noise. She turned when she heard her name being called. “Oh, it's my turn for beer pong!” She explained. “Food’s over there and beer is in the fridge!” she yelled as she ran to go take her turn. Amy shook her head, laughing at her friend as she headed off to the kitchen to grab a beer. 

Amy opened the fridge and found a shocking amount of beer stashed there. She was bent down to grab herself one when she heard someone talking to her. “Mind grabbing another one while you're in there?” Amy grabbed a second and stood up to hand it to the other party-goer. Amy’s heart all but stopped when she turned to look at the person standing in front of her. She hadn't seen him in 12 years. It somehow felt like a century and yet no time at all. “Jake?” She asked, noting that he looked as shocked as she felt. 

“Amy?” He replied, dumbfounded. “What are you doing here?” 

“Kylie is my best friend. She insisted I had to come since I just moved back here,” Amy answered, standing at a distance. “Why are you here?”

“She's my partner,” he explained, gesturing to the room. Amy looked around, noting the amount of cops that were likely in the room. 

They stood in silence. The tense, awkward silence that comes from seeing the person you loved at 18 for the first time in over a decade. Amy had imagined a lot of different ways that she and Jake would meet again, but at one of Kylie’s crazy parties was never one of the ideas. Amy couldn't help but stare at Jake, noting the way he’d changed in 12 years. He seemed taller somehow. His cheeks had hollowed some, his jawline was more defined. He certainly had a more mature look to him that only age could provide. He looked good. Even more handsome than the boy Amy had fallen for all those years ago. 

Jake cleared his throat. “So, uh, you said you moved back recently? Have you been living in Rhode Island all this time?” 

Amy opened her beer to give her something to do. “No,” she answered as she worked on the lid. “I moved back here after I left Brown, but my mom got sick a few years back and so I moved to Pennsylvania.” 

Jake furrowed his brow. “What, to get away from her being sick?” 

Amy shook her head. “Oh no, my parents moved there while I was in college. So I moved there to take care of her because my dad needed to be working.” 

Jake nodded in understanding. Suddenly a sad look crossed his face. “Oh, and you just moved back. I’m so sorry, Amy.” 

Amy was confused for a moment. “She didn't die!” She explained quickly. “She recovered and is healthy again. She’s doing well. But my parents could tell I didn't like living there so they pushed me to move back here.” 

“Ah,” Jake replied. “Well good. I’m glad she’s doing well. I always liked your mom,” Jake added with a smile. 

Amy returned the smile. “Yeah.” She paused as she thought back to old times. “Well, you didn't like her so much there at the end.” Jake’s expression became tense and somehow even more guarded than it had before. Amy cleared her throat. “That was a weird thing to say. I apologize. It's just so weird seeing you again. You know?” 

Jake nodded his head, taking a quick drink of his beer. “Yeah, I do know.”

Amy wanted to get away from awkward topics. “So you became a cop! Just like you always wanted!” 

Jake noticeably perked up. “Yeah! It's awesome!” 

“Is it everything you dreamed it would be?” 

Jake stared at Amy for a beat longer than normal. “Yeah, I got everything I wanted. It's great.” He played with the label on his beer bottle. “What about you? What do you do?”

“I teach history,” Amy informed him. She knew didn't exactly come across as exuberant about it. 

“Yeah? And how is that?” 

Amy shrugged. “It's good I guess. I mean I like my job, but I am still getting used to the new location. I teach at this super preppy private school in Manhattan. It's awful. Everyone is so entitled.” 

Jake chuckled. “Yeah, that sounds awful. You should have applied at our old school.” 

Amy burst out laughing. “I actually did. They turned me away. Wouldn't even give me an interview.” 

Jake gaped at her. “What? Precious Amy Santiago?” 

Amy rolled her eyes at him. “Well Holt isn't there anymore and the new person didn't get how beloved I was at that school.” Jake smirked as he took a drink from his beer. “You’ll never guess who the new principal is.” Jake quirked an eyebrow. “They hired from the alumni. Keith Pembroke is now the principal.” 

Jake looked aghast. “No way! They hired that jerk?”

Amy nodded, happily noting that she and Jake seemed to have fallen into a comfortable rhythm. “Yeah, the secretary happily walked my portfolio back to the principal and he walked out of his office, took one look at me, another look at the name on my resume to be sure, and told me I could get the hell out.” Jake gaped at her. “Honestly, I was ready to leave from the moment he walked out of the principal’s office anyway.” 

Jake shook his head as he laughed at her story. Kylie was finally finished with her beer pong game and walked over to talk to Amy. “Hey, having fun? I just killed at beer pong!” Amy shook her head humoredly at her friend. “Oh Amy, this is my partner, Jake,” Kylie said, needlessly introducing them. 

Jake smirked. “Yeah, we’ve met,” Amy said with a laugh.” 

Kylie looked between them. “Wait. Do you two know each other? When did you meet?” 

“In Miss Murphy’s sixth grade homeroom,” Jake answered.

Kylie looked between them in shock. “You two went to school together?” 

“Middle school through high school,” Amy confirmed. 

Kylie looked over at Jake with a weird look in her eye. She looked as though she was thinking hard about something. Suddenly, her gaze turned to Amy. “Wait a minute. Is he Jake?” 

Jake looked confused. “How much have you had to drink, Kylie? Yes, I’m your partner Jake.” 

Amy knew what Kylie was saying though. Hours upon hours of her college days where Amy cried over Jake came flashing back to her. She started to shake her head discreetly, but she was almost certain that in Kylie’s current state, she wouldn't catch on. 

“No, I mean is he  _ Jake _ , Jake? Like your high school boyfriend that you cried about for --” 

“Kylie!” Amy stopped her. “Yes, we dated in high school.”

Kylie burst out laughing. “What are the odds that your high school boyfriend became my partner on the force?” 

Amy grimaced, hoping she was passing it off as a smile. “Yeah, I’ve been mentally doing the math on that one.” 

“Oh that is fantastic,” Kylie mused. “What a small world.” 

“That's one way of putting it,” Jake said tensely. 

Blessedly, someone called Kylie over to play more beer pong. She gave Amy a wink and ran out of the kitchen. Amy rolled her eyes as she watched her friend leave. This was already awkward enough without drunk Kylie. Amy cleared her throat pointedly. “So do you still talk to anyone from school?” Amy asked. 

Jake nodded, taking another drink of his beer. “Yeah, I see Charles pretty regularly. He's a food critic for a small magazine here. It's hilarious. I actually got Gina a job at the precinct so I see her literally everyday. Talk to Rosa occasionally and when she’s in town, she’ll make a point of seeing us. What about you?” 

Amy stared at Jake, certain that her hurt was displayed on her face. “I don't talk to anyone. I guess you got our friend group in the breakup. None of them have talked to me since the afternoon before we broke up.” 

Jake made an awkward face. “I mean I don't talk to them that much. I barely even know them anymore,” he lied. 

Amy shot him a small smile. “Jake, it's fine. I don't care. Let's be real, you were never gonna shake Charles.” Jake laughed heartily, reminding Amy of late nights spent together laughing over everything and nothing. Without even meaning to, they spent the rest of Kylie’s party going back and forth between catching up and laughing over high school memories. 

\--

_ Amy sat nervously in her desk, hating her parents for sending her to a new school for the start of sixth grade. She fidgeted with her pencils, lined up neatly on her desk. Just then the boy next to her reached over and gracelessly messed up her pencils. Amy felt affronted, ready to tell this boy off. She was mad that homeroom hadn't even officially begun and she already had an enemy.  _

_ “I’m so sorry,” he said, leaning over in his desk to straighten her pencils for her. “I was trying to get your attention and I slipped and hit your pencils,” he explained.  _

_ Amy stared at him curiously. “Why were you trying to get my attention?”  _

_ “You're new here, aren't you?” the boy asked. _

_ “Is it that obvious?” Amy asked shyly.  _

_ He shook his head. “No, just that I recognize almost everyone else from fifth grade. But not you. What's your name?” _

_ Amy sat a little straighter in her seat. “I’m Amy Santiago.”  _

_ He nodded. “Noice. I'm Jake Peralta.” Amy nodded back at him. Miss Murphy called the class to attention and Amy didn't talk to Jake again till lunch.  _

_ She walked around nervously with her tray, wondering where she should sit on her first day at a new school. Amy was walking past a table where three people were sitting. She hadn't even noticed Jake sitting there until he called her name.  _

_ “Amy Santiago!” He called. Amy looked over at him with a start. “Sit with us,” he said kindly. Amy looked over at his friends. One was a small boy with dark brown hair and a kind smile. The other was a girl with perfect makeup and a critical expression. Amy hated that she felt intimidated by her. Jake stared at Amy, allowing her time to decide. Amy looked over to the other tables. So far, Jake was really the only person who’d reached out to her. Amy smiled and nodded, setting her tray down at their table as she introduced herself to Jake’s friends.  _

_ \-- _

“Seriously?” Amy asked incredulously. “You got called into work on a Sunday?” Kylie groaned into the phone. Amy grimaced. She hadn't had too much to drink the night before but she knew Kylie had to be incredibly hungover. 

“Look, can you help me out or not?” Kylie whimpered. 

Amy chuckled. “Yes. I’ll bring you medicine.” 

“Ahh thank you,” Kylie said with a groan. “I love my job but I hate it so much. There is no way I can think critically right now and track down some killer.” 

“Just do your best,” Amy encouraged. 

Amy regretfully changed out of her sweats and headed to the 99th precinct. She arrived at the station and headed toward the closing elevator. “Hold the door!” she yelled, hoping someone would hear her. A hand flung out of the elevator, stopping the doors from closing. Amy sped up to get in the elevator, and then stopped in her tracks as soon as she saw the person holding the elevator. 

“Oh my God. Amy Santiago?”

Amy smiled. “Charles Boyle!” Charles reached out and hugged Amy tightly. “Wow, Charles it’s been so long. How are you?” 

“I’m great!” Charles cried. “Ugh, it's so good to see you. What brings you here?” 

“My friend needs some medicine because she’s ridiculously hungover,” Amy explained. “So I’m here to be Kylie’s savior.” 

Charles gasped. “Kylie? Oh Amy, I feel like I should warn you. Jake actually works here. That's why I’m here. Isn’t it gonna be uncomfortable?” 

Amy smiled kindly at Charles. “That’s okay. I know Jake works here. I actually saw him last night.” 

“You did?” Charles asked. “I wonder why he didn't tell me about that.”  

Amy shook her head humoredly at Charles. “Maybe because they all got called in today,” Amy mused. 

Charles looked at Amy skeptically. “Sure, let's say it's that.” 

The elevator dinged at the fourth floor and the doors opened, revealing a number of detectives sitting at their desks. Kylie was somehow the only one not at her desk. Amy walked over to the desk with Kylie’s name on it. She looked over to see Jake sitting at the desk directly across from Kylie’s. He looked up as he saw Amy approach. 

“Amy. What brings you by?” 

She held up a bottle of medicine with a knowing look. Jake laughed. “Yeah, she seemed a little off today.” He pointed toward the hall. “She’s down the hall in an observation room because it was dark and quiet.” 

Amy rolled her eyes. “How is she even functioning today?” 

“An excellent question,” Jake laughed. 

Amy smirked, before looking just past Jake to where Charles was standing with a look of awe on his face. Jake saw Amy’s gaze and turned to see Boyle standing there, holding the bag of food he’d brought for Jake with the same dopey look Amy had noticed. “Charles?” 

Charles shook his head, shaking himself out of his reverie. “Sorry, it's just like old times,” he explained. Jake visibly tensed. Amy started to feel uncomfortable. 

“Well I’m going to go find Kylie,” Amy said, turning to leave. 

“Amy, it was just so great to see you again,” Charles yelled her way. Amy turned back and smiled and nodded. She walked out of earshot of Charles freaking out to Jake. 

Amy found Kylie in a dark room with her eyes covered and a bag of ice on her head. Amy stifled a laugh as she approached her friend. “Hey,” she whispered. 

“Amy, please don’t yell,” Kylie pled. Amy nodded though she knew Kylie couldn’t see her. 

“Did we maybe party just a bit too hard?” Amy asked, hoping all judgment was out of her tone. 

Kylie pulled down the cloth covering her eyes so she could properly glare at Amy. “Rude.” She covered her eyes again. “I wasn’t supposed to work today. But things happen.” 

Amy sat the bottle of medicine down next to Kylie, backing away from her slowly. “Well, there’s your medicine. I’m gonna head out.” 

“Oh, are you hurrying to go see my partner?” Kylie asked. Amy couldn’t even see her full face, but she knew what expression Kylie was wearing. 

“Ha, ha,” Amy deadpanned. “You aren’t as funny as you think you are. So I dated him 12 years ago. Whatever.” 

“And then cried about him off and on for the first four that I knew you,” Kylie reminded her. 

“It wasn’t a full four years,” Amy defended. “I dated in college.” 

Kylie sat up, clearly feeling well enough for a spirited debate. “Don’t say you dated. You went on a couple dates here and there. All with different guys. No one ever made it past two or three dates.” 

“Don’t you think that says more about the guys than me?” Amy asked. 

“No, I think it means that you were still hung up on the last real boyfriend you’d had. The one that things ended badly with,” Kylie explained. “That’s why it was senior year and you were having a grade A freak out and said that you wondered what would have happened if you and Jake hadn’t broken up.” 

“Okay, fine,” Amy conceded. “Maybe senior year, I still wondered what if, but it’s been 12 years Kylie. Don’t you think if I was still hung up on Jake I would have done something about it by now?” 

Kylie looked at her knowingly. “Unless you were too scared that he’d turn you down.” 

Amy rolled her eyes. “I came here to be nice, not to be interrogated, Detective. I’m going to go back home and get into my pajamas because I can.” Kylie glared at her as Amy turned and walked out. 

Amy walked back down the hall towards the bullpen, wanting to get out of the precinct and back into her cozy apartment as fast as she could. She knew, though, that if Charles was still in the building, her arrival back home would likely be delayed. 

“Gina, see?” she heard Charles exclaim as she walked in sight. Amy looked over and spotted Gina sitting at a desk located behind Jake and Kylie’s desk clump. 

“Gina?” Amy asked, walking toward her. “Wow, it’s so good to see you.” 

“I know it is,” Gina replied without looking up from her phone. She said nothing else to Amy. Amy looked over at Charles and Jake with a confused expression. Jake just shook his head and Charles looked disappointed in Gina. 

“Come on, Gina,” he said, walking toward Amy. “It’s Amy! We haven’t seen her in over a decade.” 

“Then it’s been a good decade, I guess,” Gina answered, still not looking up at them. Amy rolled her eyes. In school, Gina had always been the one to go against her. She got along well with everyone else and so did Amy. But for some reason, the two of them never clicked. They’d gotten along on a surface level for the sake of their friend group, but hardly ever was time spent just the two of them. Amy didn’t know why she expected it to be any different 12 years later. 

“Gina,” Jake scolded. 

“No, it’s fine,” Amy replied, waving Jake and Charles off. 

“I just always knew that one day she’d come crawling back,” Gina said, finally looking up at her phone. She fixed Amy with the most disapproving glare. Amy matched it. For the first time in her life, Amy actually didn’t care what Gina thought. And it was a freeing feeling. 

“Well, Charles,” Amy said, pointedly ignoring Gina, “It was so great to see you again. Maybe we can catch up soon?” Charles nodded emphatically. Amy smiled at him. Amy walked toward the elevator. “Jake, it was great to see you again too.” Jake waved to her as she walked by, returning an awkward smile.

As the elevator doors closed on Amy, she relished the idea of spending the rest of the day alone. 

\--

_ By the time that high school began, Rosa had joined the group and they were a very tight-knit clan. The summer before school started, the five of them spent plenty of nights hanging out, often musing about what high school would really be like. Jake hoped that he would be considered a cool kid there too. Gina just knew that she would be. Charles hoped that the food in the lunchroom would improve. Amy hoped that the classes would really challenge her. And Rosa just hoped no one really talked to her too much.  _

_ The last weekend before school was to start, the five of them had gathered for their last summer hangout. Slowly, the group disbanded. Amy and Jake were the last two there, sitting in the park, looking up at the stars.  _

_ Jake looked over at Amy, wondering if he should voice his thoughts. He looked back up at the sky, staring at the stars shining down on them. For such a simple activity, looking at the stars always brought Jake pleasure. The sky made him feel like the universe was so big and his problems were so small. Finally, he cleared his throat and let his vulnerability show.  _

_ “Amy,” he asked softly. She turned over and looked at him. Even in just the moonlight, she was still the prettiest girl he’d ever met in person. “Are you scared to start high school?” _

_ Amy frowned at his question. “No. Do you think I should be?”  _

_ Jake shook his head quickly. “No, not at all. I was just curious.” He turned back to look at the sky again. He’d been stupid to bring it up. _

_ “Jake,” Amy asked in the same soft voice Jake had used. He looked back at her. “Are you scared of starting school?” _

_ “No,” He insisted. After a pause, he said, “No?” It was more of a question. “I don’t know. Maybe I am. It’s just so much change. You know, we’re gonna start driving and then we’re going to go to college and then we’ll be adults and have to know what we want to do with our lives.”  _

_ Amy chuckled softly. “Okay, things are going to change, but there’ll be some good changes too. I mean for your first point, we live in New York. We’re not really going to start driving soon.” Jake laughed, accepting her argument. “And yeah the idea of college seems scary but I have two brothers there right now and they think it’s the best.” Jake nodded, looking at her. “And I don’t know why you’re worried about becoming an adult because you already know what you want to do! You want to be a cop!” Amy reminded him.  _

_ Jake smiled at her memory. “Yeah, we’re gonna be cops together.”  _

_ Amy nodded with a laugh. “Definitely. We’ll be the best cops in all of New York City.” She reached out and touched Jake’s hand where it sat between them. “Look, I know moving on to the next stage is scary. I mean I’m worried about it. What if I was only smart for middle school but not for high school?” Jake flashed her a disapproving look. “Okay, okay,” she said, waving him off. “But the point is, we’ll all be there together, right? So it’s not going to be as scary because we’ll have all of our friends going through it with us. It seems a lot better than splitting off and going to different schools.”  _

_ Jake nodded thoughtfully. “That’s a good point. I can’t imagine going through this without you guys.”  _

_ Amy smiled and nodded. “We’re always going to be here, Jake,” Amy promised. “Especially me.”  _

\--

By the time Kylie’s shift was ending, Amy was still fuming from her day at work. She called Kylie the moment she knew she’d be off work. Her friend was always the best person to vent to. It only rang once before Kylie picked up. 

“Hey! What's up?” 

“You’re a cop,” Amy started, still angrily pacing around her apartment. “I need you to tell me the consequences for murder!” 

“Wow, rough day?” Kylie asked in a joking manner. 

Amy groaned. “You could say that. Yesterday, I had to reprimand one of my students. So naturally today I got yelled at by his parents and then my boss. So it's just been a super day.” 

“So they don't do that thing anymore where the teacher is right?” Kylie asked. 

“No,” Amy replied. “They do this new thing where the lazy asshole teenager is right no matter what.” Amy could scream she was still so mad. “And apparently this kid can do no wrong in his parents’ eyes and apparently their pockets run deep and they're generous to the school. So naturally, I was in the wrong for reprimanding my student. Stupid prep schools. I should have known better.” 

There was a long pause before Kylie replied. “So what do you want to do? Wanna drink?” 

Amy thought it over quickly. “Yeah, I could use a drink.” 

“Great!” Kylie cheered. “The squad is all going to Shaw’s so you should meet us there. You don't live too far from there.” 

Amy drew back. The squad? “Oh that's okay, I don't want to interrupt your work hangout.” 

“Dude, we go out all the time.” 

“Still,” Amy maintained

“Is this because of Jake?” Kylie questioned. 

“It's weird,” Amy insisted. 

“No it's not. So you guys have dated? Big whoop. You still seem to get along. Even if things ended as badly as you say,” Kylie retorted. 

“I just don't want him to think I moved back and now i’m not leaving him alone,” Amy explained weakly. 

She could picture Kylie rolling her eyes. “You’re an idiot. Just come on. I’m hanging up. Meet me there. Bye!” 

Amy groaned. Of course Kylie would back her into a corner like this. Sighing dramatically, Amy stomped back to her room to change out of her sweats. She hated the part of her that tried to look cute. 

Amy found Shaw’s easily enough. Kylie was right, she didn’t live too far away. She wasn’t sure what to expect when she walked into the bar, but she surely wasn’t expecting Kylie to already be fairly far along in her drinking. 

“Amy!” Kylie yelled when Amy walked into the bar. Amy grimaced, realizing how the night would actually go. Amy smiled sadly and walked toward her friend. 

“How much have you had to drink?” Amy asked bluntly. 

“Not that much,” Kylie lied. “Except that Johnson asked me to do some shots with him so obviously I had to,” she added. 

Amy rolled her eyes, approaching the bar with Kylie. “So you’re already hammered?” 

Kylie gasped in offense. “Hammered? I am offended!” With a loud hiccup, Kylie wrinkled her nose. “I still wouldn’t say hammered. Just...having fun.” 

Amy shook her head with disappointment. “Whatever.” She turned to the bartender. “I’ll have a beer.” 

Kylie was looking in another direction when Amy turned back to her. Kylie looked at her with a mischievous expression on her face. “Do you want to play darts?” 

Amy stared at her with a blank look. “No. I came here to talk, not play darts.” 

“But I really wanna play darts,” Kylie whined. Amy shook her head, not a fan of this side of Kylie. 

“Hey Kylie,” someone called from behind them. “I’ll play darts with you!” Kylie cheered and went off to play darts with them, not even sparing a word for Amy. 

Amy stared after her friend with a dumbfounded expression. What had just happened? Not a full hour ago, Kylie was encouraging Amy to come out to vent about her bad day. And now Kylie was blowing her off. If Amy hadn’t ordered a drink already, she’d have just left. 

Amy sighed as she sat down on a stool at the bar. Reaching out and taking a long pull from her beer, Amy debated how quickly she could leave. She looked over when someone sat down next to her. Amy smiled at Jake, raising her bottle in toast. 

“Hey, how’s it going?” he asked. 

Amy rolled her eyes before pointedly looking over at Kylie. “Well I came here to vent to my best friend and she got drunk in the time it took me to get here. So...not great.” 

Jake looked over at Kylie with a small laugh. “Yeah, that sounds about right?”

“Does she seriously do this in front of her colleagues?” Amy wondered aloud. 

Jake nodded. “Yep. She gets sloppy really easily. And is usually pretty unashamed about it.” 

Amy shook her head. “God, this feels just like going to parties with her in college. She’d promise me that I got to be the one to drink and then she’d get sloshed before I even finished my first drink.” Jake was looking at Amy with a weird look. “What?” 

Jake smirked. “Nothing, I’m just trying to picture you at a college party. I can’t do it. I can’t picture you trying to get wild.” 

Amy glared at him. “Hey, I can get wild when I want to.” 

“You? You who used to freak out when we drank because you were so sure that we would all get arrested?” Jake reminded her. 

Amy rolled her eyes. “I was 16. I obviously have changed since then.” 

“Fine,” Jake teased, “Match Kylie, drink for drink.”

“Well I’m obviously not going to do that,” Amy retorted. Jake laughed. “But not because I can’t get wild, like you have accused me, but because I’m going to have to be the one who make sure she gets home and doesn’t die.” 

“You’re a good friend,” Jake remarked. 

“Yeah,” Amy replied. “I’m the good friend who comes to vent about her bad day and ends up being the DD instead.”

“What was so bad?” Jake asked. He fixed her with a pointed glance. “Having boy troubles?” Amy grimaced. “Yeah, I don’t know why I said that,” Jake said in response to her expression. 

Amy smirked. “I mean I am, yeah.” Jake looked uncomfortable. “A teenage boy with a bad attitude and rich asshole parents wrapped around his finger.” 

For the slightest second, Jake looked relieved. Amy didn’t want to examine it too much. “So work is rough?”

Amy nodded. “Yeah. I apparently can’t reprimand my students if they have rich parents who give lots of money to the school. The worst part is, my boss got involved, told me to back down. And the kid is obviously going to know that his parents stepped in. I’ve lost all my control. I’m not going to be able to get him to do anything ever again because he’ll just send his parents in if he doesn’t want to do it.” 

Jake sighed. “Yikes. That’s rough for sure.” He sat there thoughtfully for a second. Suddenly, he turned to Amy with an excited look in his eyes. “Okay, here’s what you do!” Amy laughed at his excitement. “You come up with this super tedious assignment for the whole class. Then you email the class,  _ except _ for this kid and you say “Oh by the way, I forgot to say that this is just extra credit. But the other sections have to do it for real, so don’t talk about it being extra credit or you’ll have to do it for real too.” And then you’ll get him.”  

Amy laughed hysterically. “So you want me to use Charles’s tactics?” Jake looked at her with a confused expression. “You know, when Charles asked all of us to go to dinner with him and Vivian and then called us all and told us not to come?” 

Jake burst out laughing at the memory. “You want to know the funniest part of that? That was actually my idea!” 

Amy closed her eyes and nodded slowly. “Of course it was.” 

Jake smiled, taking a drink of his beer. “Man, we had a lot of fun didn’t we?” Amy smiled and nodded thoughtfully. “I mean, I’m not one of those people who misses high school or whatever.”

“Right,” Amy agreed. “You’re not insane.” 

He laughed. “Exactly. But we did have good times. When the five of us all spent time together, it was a good time.” 

Amy nodded in agreement, taking a sip of her beer. “Like the time we all snuck out to Charles’s parents’ beach house.” 

Jake laughed. “Yes! Or the time that we threw that party because Gina and I actually got passable scores on our SATs!” 

“Or remember the time that I tried to make my grandma’s Arroz con Pollo for the potluck in our spanish class?” Amy mused. 

“The spanish class that  you took to humiliate us all?” Jake asked pointedly. 

“I was taking really hard classes that year. I needed an easy A!” Amy defended. Jake laughed, shaking his head. “But I made you be my taste tester and you claimed I was poisoning you so we made Charles come over and make it for me.” 

Jake laughed. “Yes! He was so shocked you couldn’t cook that he offered to give you lessons.” Amy shook her head in laughter. “The absolute best though, was when you punched Jenny Gildenhorn at my Bar Mitzvah. I think that was just the best thing that ever happened.”

Amy smiled smugly. “I was grounded for a week after that. But it was worth it. What kind of jerk dumps someone at their own Bar Mitzvah? She deserved it.” They sat there silently for a few minutes, soaking in the nostalgia. Amy looked over at Jake, recognizing that it was easier to spend time with him than she’d always expected. Given the way things ended between them, for the past 12 years, Amy had always imagined things would be hard if she ever ran into Jake again. 

But there they were, for the third time in a couple of weeks. It wasn’t uncomfortable spending time with Jake and that made her happy. Jake was always a person she’d wished was still in her life. Maybe it meant that was possible. 

“Can I say something potentially awkward?” Amy asked hesitantly. Jake shrugged, urging her to continue. “I always thought this would be weirder.” 

Jake furrowed his brow. “What? Seeing each other again?” 

Amy nodded. “Yeah. I don’t know, but I always just thought it would be harder.” 

Jake tilted his head. “Maybe since it was a decade ago, all the weirdness disappeared. Or maybe it was the fact that it was just a high school relationship.” 

Amy tensed slightly. It hadn’t been the first time that someone had made that comment about their relationship. But even years later, their four year relationship still meant something to Amy. It stung to hear Jake just brush it off as nothing. Amy nodded, taking a drink from her beer. “Yeah.” 

She felt Jake’s eyes on her. “Or maybe it doesn’t matter what went down when you had a strong enough friendship,” he offered. Amy looked over and smiled at him. 

“I like that answer.” 

Jake reached over and clinked his bottle with Amy’s. “To catching up with old friends.” 

“To Kylie getting drunk and abandoning me at different events,” Amy countered. 

Jake laughed. “Safe to say this probably won’t be the last time that happens.” 

Amy shook her head, glowering a bit. “Absolutely won’t be the last time.” 

\--

_ Amy was sitting in homeroom, doing her homework that was due the next week. Gina and Rosa slid into the desks on either side of her. Amy looked at them both nervously before turning back to her work. “What’s up?” she asked with a bored tone.  _

_ “So Homecoming is coming up,” Gina reminded her. “Anyone you want to go with?” _

_ Amy looked over at her with a confused expression. “Why?” _

_ “Just curious,” Gina replied evasively.  _

_ Amy narrowed her eyes at her. “I don’t know. I’d be fine going alone.”  _

_ “Oh come on,” Rosa groaned. “No one actually wants to go alone.”  _

_ “What if Luke Mueller asked you?” Gina pestered.  _

_ Amy shook her head. “Why would he ask me? I don’t even talk to him.”  _

_ “But he’s so cute,” Gina argued. “Surely you’d be game if he asked you.”  _

_ “I don’t know him. I’d rather go with someone I know.”  _

_ “Like who?” Rosa asked, uncharacteristically interested in Amy’s life.  _

_ “I don’t know,” Amy said vaguely. “It would be fun to go with a friend. You know, like if I went with Jake or something.”  _

_ “You want to go with Jake?” Gina probed.  _

_ “I never said that,” Amy defended. “I just said it would be fun to go with a friend.”  _

_ “Yeah, but then you mentioned Jake,” Rosa reminded her.  _

_ Amy rolled her eyes, wondering how she got trapped in this conversation. “I don’t know what’s happening.”  _

_ Slowly, Gina and Rosa edged out of their seats and walked away whispering about something annoyingly. Amy shook her head and tried to focus back on her work. She did her best to put the weird interaction from her mind.  _

_ Three days later, Amy was sitting in the library, getting some work done when Jake walked in and sat down across from her. He didn’t have any schoolbooks with him. Amy was confused as to why he was there. She kept herself focused on her work though until Jake nervously cleared his throat. Amy looked up curiously.  _

_ “Hey, uh, hey Ames,” Jake sputtered. Amy furrowed her brow, confused by his nerves. “So whatcha doing?” _

_ Amy looked at her books and then back at Jake, still confused. “Uh, work…”  _

_ “Ha, ha, classic,” Jake replied. It did nothing to clear up Amy’s confusion. He shook his head more to himself than to her. “Okay, I wanted to ask you if you were going to Homecoming with anyone.” _

_ Amy stared at him, the conversation with Gina and Rosa flashing back to her. She scowled. “No. Did Gina put you up to this?” _

_ Jake looked taken aback. “What? No. Why would Gina have put me up to this?” _

_ “She didn’t tell you to ask me as a joke?”  _

_ “No,” Jake answered. “Besides, who said I’m asking you?” Amy sat back in her chair, feeling like an idiot. Jake shook his head again. “I don’t know why I said that. I am asking you.” He sighed deeply. “Amy Santiago, would you like to go to the Homecoming dance with me?” _

_ Amy smiled. “Sure. Like just as friends?” _

_ Jake looked uncomfortable again. “Um...actually no. I was...kinda wondering...you know if you’d want to go as a date.” Amy was surprised and knew her face reflected it. “But I mean you don’t have to. We can obviously just go as friends.”  _

_ Amy reached out and grabbed Jake’s hand. “I’d love to go as a date.”  _

_ Jake stared at her. “You would?” Amy nodded sincerely. A huge smile broke out on Jake’s face. “Great. Then it’s a date!”  _

_ “It’s a date,” Amy echoed happily.  _

_ And that was the simple beginning of their four year relationship.  _

\--

Jake was having dinner with Charles at one of the restaurants he was reviewing. “Wait,” Charles said, interrupting Jake. “You hung out with Amy again?”

Jake shrugged. “Yeah.” Charles was staring at Jake with a dumbfounded expression. “What, Charles?”

Charles shook his head. “So is this a thing you’re doing now? You guys are spending time together?”

“Not intentionally,” Jake replied quickly. “Well, okay the first couple of times weren’t intentional.”

“Wait, what? What do you mean first?”

Jake sighed, wishing he hadn’t said anything. “So we hung out at the bar recently when she was there to see Kylie and Kylie was plastered. And we chatted and it was fun. So we got lunch recently.” Charles stared at him. “A couple of times actually.” 

Jake watched as Charles’s jaw actually dropped open. “Oh my God. Are you guys dating again?”

Jake shook his head vehemently. “No. We are not dating. Not at all. We’re just two old friends catching up. It’s nothing Charles.” 

“It is not nothing, Jake,” Charles argued. “You were hung up on Amy for years. And now as if it’s nothing, you’re just spending time together again?”

“Dude, I was 18 when we broke up. And yes, it happened suddenly and threw me for a loop for a while. But I have had serious relationships since Amy,” Jake countered. “If it was hard for me to be around Amy, I wouldn’t be spending time with her.” 

“I still say that Amy messed you up for all future relationships,” Charles insisted. Jake rolled his eyes. “I mean your relationship was fine with Sophia and then all the sudden it wasn’t. Just like you and Amy.” 

Jake shook his head. “My relationship with Sophia ended because it was always going to end. She was a defense attorney. Our jobs literally clashed. Okay? You can’t blame the end of that relationship on me being scarred by Amy ten years earlier.” 

“I’m just saying, that whatever happened with Amy messed you up,” Charles continued. “And while I always loved Amy, and it’s great to see her again, I just want you to be careful. You’re a good guy, Jake, the best, and you deserve to be happy.”

Jake smiled. “That’s really sweet, Bud, but we’re not dating. We’re literally just hanging out. Catching up on each other’s lives. We were a big part of each other’s lives and we’re just getting to know each other again. I promise you there is no way I’m going to get hurt.” 

Charles glared at Jake. “Why would you even say that? That’s basically a guarantee that it’s going to happen now.” 

Jake rolled his eyes. “Don’t worry. I’ll be careful.”

“So does that mean you’re going to see her again?” 

Jake shrugged. “I mean, probably.” 

“Maybe I should come with you guys sometime,” Charles offered. “Make sure things don’t get too heavy. You always used to say I was a good buzzkill.” 

Jake rubbed his hand down his face. “I stand by that. You definitely are. And yeah, feel free to come because you’re my, no  _ our _ friend and it would be nice for all of us to spend time together.” 

“And then it won’t get too romantic,” Charles maintained. Jake shook his head, giving up on the subject. 

\--

_ Jake and Amy dating somehow didn’t change the dynamic of the group. They all still hung out constantly. Jake and Amy tried their best not to be too touchy in front of their friends. They didn’t want their friends to hate them. Through all of freshman year, Jake and Amy got acquainted with being in an actual relationship. By the end of sophomore year, it was weird for them to think it had been any other way. They were comfortable around each other and had fun together, even just doing mundane things. The amount of times they did their homework together and both still considered it a good time was astounding to them and their friends.  _

_ Amy spent a lot of time around Jake’s home simply due to the fact that he didn’t have seven brothers. Karen often welcomed Amy to eat with them and spend any time she wanted there. Amy loved being with the Peraltas.  _

_ And Jake felt the same way at Amy’s house. Amy’s mom had once told him that he was always welcome there. He enjoyed getting to feel like part of a big family. He loved being in a house with a ton of people. It made him feel like he got to experience the things he’d missed out on by being an only child. Between their sophomore and junior years, Jake even got invited on the Santiago summer trip to Washington D.C. when one of Amy’s brothers couldn’t go.  _

_ So by the time they reached their junior year of high school, Jake and Amy being together was as normal as normal could be. They were so comfortable being in each other’s lives that nothing really fazed them.  _

_ Jake strolled into the Santiago house one late afternoon looking for Amy. Mrs. Santiago greeted him happily, offering him food or drinks. He kindly refused her offer, hoping to find Amy so she could help him with his math homework. Geometry was kicking his ass. A concerned look crossed Mrs. Santiago’s face when he mentioned Amy.  _

_ “She locked herself in her room a couple hours ago and none of us have been able to get her to come down,” she explained. “I even told her I was going to start dinner and needed her help, but nothing.”  _

_ Jake was concerned by that too. Amy was never one to ignore her family. He patted Mrs. Santiago on the shoulder. “Let me see if I can help.” She nodded, thanking Jake, and urging him upstairs.  _

_ He knocked on the door once. No reply. He knocked on the door again. This time he was told to go away. “Ames, it’s me,” he called through the door. She gently called that he could come in. Amy was sitting back on her bed, curled in a ball, her hair a mess and papers lying everywhere.  _

_ Jake calmly walked over and sat on the edge of her bed. “Hey, what’s wrong?”  _

_ Amy looked up at him, fresh tears brewing in her eyes. He noticed her tear stained face and just wanted to hold her. She shook her head, the rest of her body shaking back and forth. “I can’t do this, Jake.”  _

_ “Can’t do what?” he asked, very concerned.  _

_ Her breathing became shallow and she started braiding her hair slowly as she still rocked back and forth. “These classes. I can’t do it.”  _

_ Jake closed his eyes, realizing Amy was having a panic attack. He’d seen them before. Not often, and not really this bad. Amy looked like she was shutting down. He picked up all the papers in front of her and stacked them neatly on her desk. She looked at him with a shocked expression. Jake sat in front of her, gripping her shoulders. “You’re going to be fine. I promise. You are Amy Santiago. You are brilliant. You are awesome. And you wouldn’t be in these classes if you couldn’t handle them. I know it’s a lot more work than before, but you’re gonna kill it. I promise.”  _

_ Amy stared at him, still unsure. “Jake, what if I took on too much? What if I can’t handle all this work? I feel like I’m losing my mind.” Her breathing was still rough.  _

_ Jake made sure to handle Amy delicately. He grabbed one of her hands and held it to his chest, urging her to match her breathing with his. It took several minutes for her to successfully do it. Once her breathing evened out, she started to calm down more. Once he felt like he wouldn’t be making things worse, Jake wrapped Amy into his arms and held her there as he stroked her hair. “Ames, I know it seems scary now, but you’re gonna conquer this. Yes, it’s more work, but the advisors wouldn’t have let you take all these classes at once if they didn’t think you were up to it.”  _

_ He felt Amy weakly nod against him. “You really think so?” _

_ “No,” Jake said. He felt Amy pull back and stare at him. “I know so.”  _

_ She smiled and shook her head, leaning back into him, and wrapping her arms around him. “Thank you,” she whispered into his shirt.  _

_ Jake planted a kiss in her hair. “Anything for my girl.”  _

\--

It had been a couple of months since Amy Santiago had surprisingly come back into Jake Peralta’s life. He could never have expected the seamless way she fit back into it. They would get drinks together after work when either of them had had hard days. Amy had quickly realized that when it came to getting drinks, Jake was a more reliable friend to meet than Kylie. 

Jake had made good on his promise to Charles that the three of them would spend time together too. Charles took them to lots of different places all over the city. Some restaurants were really good and some were unpalatable. Jake was thankful that he finally had someone to share in the misery of Charles’s food choices again. It made him laugh when Amy made the same pained faces that he did. 

He still had to reassure Charles nearly every time that they weren’t dating. Jake just thought it was fun spending time with her again. Amy had always been a good person to hang out with and that hadn’t changed in the twelve years they’d spent apart. As strange as it was to be spending so much time with his ex-girlfriend, Jake had been having a better time in the past couple of months than he had in quite a while. Amy was suddenly the person he texted first when he wanted to do something. He chose not to read into what that could mean. There was nothing between them except friendship. 

Jake was getting ready to leave the station one night when Kylie stopped him. “Hey, Peralta, where are you headed?”

“Home?” Jake answered, unsure of why she was asking. 

“Oh great,” she started. “Can you do me a favor then? Well, it’s not really a favor for me. It’s a favor for Amy.” Jake nodded, letting her continue. “So she left her laptop at my apartment last night and she needs me to run it to work for her.” 

“She’s still at work?” Jake asked, looking at his watch. 

“They’re having conferences or something, I don’t know,” Kylie explained. “Anyway, she needs it and I just got a lead on one of my cases that I need to pursue. Do you think you could do it?”

Jake nodded, reaching out to grab the laptop bag from her. “I’ll deliver it to Miss Santiago post haste.” Kylie just stared at him like he was an idiot. “Whatever, I’ll get it to her.” 

So Jake drove to Manhattan to Amy’s terrible prep school. It seemed fairly deserted for Amy to still be there. He found his way to her classroom, looking through the window to see if he was going to interrupt her in a meeting. Jake was confused when he didn’t see anyone in there, not even Amy. He opened the door slowly, looking around to evaluate the room. His detective skills were kicking in as he entered the room. He couldn’t see Amy, but he heard her. 

The sound of shallow, urgent breaths took him back to a moment years ago when he was basically a different person. He knew what that sound meant. Amy was having a panic attack. He looked around wildly, hoping to find her. Jake walked toward her desk, finding her curled in a ball on the floor behind it. 

Jake put the laptop on the desk and quickly crouched down in front of Amy. He reached forward, putting one hand on the back of her head and the other on her arm. She looked up at him, surprised to see him there. Without even speaking first, he took her hand and placed it on his chest, hoping to even out her breathing. He squeezed her shoulder, hoping to encourage her to try to follow him. She closed her eyes and leaned forward, laying her head against his shoulder, seemingly focusing on her breathing. Jake moved his hand from her shoulder to rub up and down her back soothingly. They remained in that position for several minutes as Amy came down from her panic attack. 

Amy picked her head up finally, looking Jake in the eye. “What are you doing here?” she asked softly. 

Jake motioned to the laptop on the desk behind him. “Kylie sent me with your laptop.” He looked at her critically. “Are you okay?” 

Amy nodded. Jake raised one eyebrow. “I am now. Really.” She leaned in and hugged Jake tightly. “Thank you,” she whispered. 

Jake squeezed his arms around her. “Of course.” 

Amy pulled back, finally getting up off the floor. Jake stood up too. “I can’t believe you still remember how to calm me down.” 

Jake chuckled. “I wouldn’t have guessed that I did. But I heard you and I just knew exactly what to do.” 

Amy smiled, walking around to the front of her desk. “Well, I guess I should get back to work. Thanks for bringing my laptop,” she said, motioning for the bag. 

Jake was confused. “What? No, you need to go home.” 

Amy looked at him like he was being silly. “Jake, I obviously have work to do. That’s why I’m still here.” 

“If you have work to do on your laptop, you can do it at home,” Jake reasoned. He stepped closer to Amy. “Why did you have a panic attack?”

Amy shrugged. “These things happen.”

“Yeah, you’re right. But if I recall, usually it was increased stress that brought them on for you.” Amy stared at him. “So what was it?”

She shook her head. Finally she sighed. “Okay, fine. We were having conferences and a parent came in and yelled at me and told me I was a terrible teacher and they were going to make sure I didn’t have a job next year. And they were the last person that I saw and I just...I don’t know had an attack.” 

Jake gaped at her. “You shouldn’t be alone with people like that. Especially if they can make you have panic attacks.” Jake paused, thinking about something. “Wait, how long were you having a panic attack?”

Amy shrugged. “I don’t really know.” 

Jake walked closer to Amy. He put his hands on her shoulders. “You’ve been here long enough. You need to go home where you can be comfortable. You know how much panic attacks wear you out. Just go home. And if you absolutely have to do you work, do it there. Where no one can come in and yell at you.” 

Amy stared at Jake for a long moment. Finally she patted his hand on her shoulder and nodded. “Okay. I guess I’ll go home.” 

Jake pumped one fist in the air. “Victory!”

Amy laughed and shook her head as she turned back to her desk. “So I’ll see you soon?” she asked. 

Jake scoffed. “Do you really think I’m gonna just leave and go on faith that you’ll actually go home? You think I’m gonna fall for the Santiago fake out? Nope. I’m walking you to your car.” 

Amy rolled her eyes, but seemed to know that she wasn’t going to win this one. She nodded, picking up her laptop bag and another work bag, gesturing Jake towards the door. They walked through the deserted school hallways. The only other person they encountered was one of the janitors. Amy waved to him as she and Jake walked out the front door. 

Jake walked Amy to her car when she stopped to look at him. “So lunch next week?”

Jake nodded. “Sounds good.” 

Amy smiled, stepping closer to wrap Jake in a hug. “Thank you, Jake.” 

He wrapped his arms around her in return. “You’d do the same thing.” 

\--

Amy hated to admit it, but Jake was right. She was exhausted by the time she got back from Manhattan to Brooklyn. She was heading toward her apartment building when she noticed a familiar car slowing down on the street. She rolled her eyes, turning back toward the street. Jake was sitting in his car, idling outside her apartment. Amy walked over as he rolled the passenger window down. “Are you following me? Should I file a police report?”

Jake laughed. “Just wanted to make sure you got home okay. I knew you’d tell me not to.” Amy smirked. He had her there. “Plus I don’t live too far away.” 

Amy stared at him blankly. “Do you forget that I know where you live?”

Jake chuckled. “Okay, so I guess I am a bit out of my way. I just wanted to make sure.”

Amy leaned down against the passenger door. “Well that is very kind of you. I made it home just fine. But, though I hate to admit it, you are right. I’m exhausted. So I’m gonna go inside.” Jake nodded. Amy leaned in through the window and grabbed Jake’s shoulder. “Thanks again.” 

“No problem. You can return the favor when I come across some super gruesome crime,” Jake joked. 

Amy chuckled sadly. “You just let me know if I need to return the favor.” She backed away from the car. “Night, Jake.” 

Jake smiled kindly. “Night, Ames.” 

Amy stopped in her tracks. Hearing that nickname again gave her pause. She waved to him and then sped into her apartment. Sure, she’d been spending a lot of time with Jake lately, but this was the first time she’d felt that pang again. 

She hadn’t been expecting to see Jake at a time when she was at her most vulnerable. But then he showed up, calmed her down, and made sure she got home okay. How could she not be feeling at least a little something? 

Somehow the thing that made it all so clear was having him call her Ames. It was like a switch flipped in her mind and she realized that she’d been so dumb over the last couple of months. The fact that she thought that she could spend so much time with Jake and not have these feelings return was silly. 

Jake was a great person in high school and was an even better person as an adult. He was still just as kind, thoughtful, and funny. He still made the same lame jokes that Amy loved. He still had the same stupid grin that used to make Amy weak in the knees. He was basically the same person just more mature. 

Amy was in the middle of spiraling over her realization that her feelings for Jake had returned when her phone started ringing in her hand. She looked down to see Kylie smiling up at her. Amy answered the phone quickly. “Hello?”

“Hey! Did Jake get you your laptop?”

Amy looked down at the bag she’d just set down on her couch. “Yeah. He did.” 

“Is everything okay?” Kylie asked, sounding concerned. 

“I’ve just had a weird night.” 

“Explain.”

“Jake found me in the throes of a panic attack and he calmed me down and made sure I came home because he knew I’d be exhausted,” Amy explained. 

“That’s nice,” Kylie remarked. “He still remembered the best way to calm you down?”

“Yeah,” Amy replied softly. 

There was a long pause between them. “Oh my God. You like Jake.” 

“What?” Amy asked shrilly. It was true, but Amy wasn’t ready to admit it to someone else. “You really think that in the last twelve years I never moved on from my high school boyfriend? Kylie, I’ve dated other people. Remember Teddy? We dated for two years.” 

“Yeah, I never insinuated that you still liked him. I meant that you liked him again,” Kylie clarified. “But the way that you just jumped down my throat like that makes me think that you are worried that you’ve never gotten over him.” 

“I got over him,” Amy insisted. “I just...I don’t know. Maybe I do like him again,” Amy admitted. “But it’s not like it’s going to go anywhere. It’s probably just a resurgence of feelings because he took care of me. It’s fine.” Amy paused, remembering that Kylie now worked across from Jake. “And Kylie, you have to promise me that you won’t say anything to him. I mean it.” 

“Whoa. I promise,” Kylie said, sounding sincere. 

They talked for a little bit more, thankfully not about Jake. But Amy was still exhausted from the panic attack. Somehow though, as she laid in bed that night, it took her longer than usual to fall asleep. She wondered what it meant that she had feelings for Jake again. Could they just be an echo from twelve years ago, finally catching up to her? Or could they be real, adult feelings, informed by time she’d spent with him again? Amy sighed, turning over to try and get comfortable, wishing more than anything that she could get Jake Peralta off her mind. 

\--

“Guys, I am just so excited for you two to try this place!” Charles exclaimed. 

“Don't you think you maybe  _ shouldn't _ review places you know you like?” Amy asked. 

Jake agreed with her. “Yeah that seems a little shady.” 

“I don't know that I like it,” Charles argued. “I’ve just heard big things coming out of the soft opening. Honestly, you two wouldn't be able to get in for several more months if you weren't coming with me.” 

Jake and Amy looked at each other and held back laughter. Jake shook his head at Charles. They waited at the hostess stand as Charles name dropped. It had been a few weeks since Amy had recognized that she might have feelings for Jake again. She was doing her best to keep them at bay. More than anything, she just wanted to spend time with him. 

“Right this way,” the hostess said. Charles flashed them an excited look as they turned to follow the hostess. 

They were presented with menus and upon looking at them, Amy and Jake both released a small gasp. The food was obnoxiously expensive. “Hey, Charles, Buddy, umm...did you know how expensive this place was?” 

Charles looked at him with a quizzical expression. Amy nodded. “I’m a teacher and I’m trying to calculate when rent is due to see if I can afford this meal.” 

Jake pointed at Amy for emphasis. “Yeah, and you know I’ve never been the best with my finances.” 

Charles was still confused. “Guys, did you miss the part where I told you they were comping our meal since i’m reviewing the restaurant?” 

Amy and Jake looked at each other before looking back at Charles. “Oh thank God!” Amy cried. 

“Whew, big relief there,” Jake agreed. “Must have missed that part.” 

Charles smiled goofily at them. “Why do you look like that, Charles?” Amy asked. 

“Because that means you guys actually came because you want to spend time with me, not because of a free meal,” Charles replied happily. Amy could swear she saw tears in his eyes. 

“Charles, of course we want to spend time with you,” Jake clarified. “If I didn't want to spend time with you, I’d have dropped you sometime between fourth grade and turning 30.” Amy laughed. 

“That's really sweet, Jake, but please don't talk about dropping me,” Charles pleaded. Jake stifled a chuckle and nodded. 

The food seemed to hold up to its price. It was quite exquisite. Jake said it was the best steak he’d ever eaten. Amy’d gone out on a limb and ordered lobster and she was very impressed too. At the end of the meal, Charles went back into the kitchen to talk to the chef, leaving Jake and Amy alone at the table. 

“Wow, there's still a long line to get in here,” Amy mused as she noted the people over Jake’s shoulder. He turned around to look, turning back very quickly with a panicked look on his face. “What was that?” Amy asked. 

The panic on Jake’s face didn't fade. “Oh nothing, just spotted my ex-girlfriend over there. It's fine.” 

Amy raised her eyebrows in near amusement. “Really?” she asked, kind of intrigued, ignoring the pang in her chest. 

“Mhmm,” Jake confirmed, pouring himself more wine from bottle on the table. “I’d be safe in saying things didn't end well between us.” 

Amy looked over Jake’s shoulder, wondering which woman it was that had Jake so freaked. Nothing put her past relationship with Jake in more perspective than seeing him freak out like this. Amy had clearly built things up to be too much in her mind. Jake hadn't reacted like this when he’d seen her because their relationship was a high school relationship. Amy felt a little crushed, but still curious to see how this played out. 

“Okay,” Jake said suddenly, reaching to grab her hand. “I’m going to ask you to do something awkward.” 

“You want me to pretend to be your girlfriend?” Amy asked, sensing where he was going. 

“Yes, actually. Thanks for just knowing what I was going to say.” 

“Well a good girlfriend can basically read her man’s mind,” Amy joked. Jake smirked, shaking his head. “But I have to know more about this situation obviously if I’m going to pretend to be a part of it.” 

Jake nodded. “That's fair enough.” He reached out and held Amy’s hand, rubbing his thumb along the back of her hand. Amy tried not to be distracted by the motion. “Okay, so I started dating Sophia two years ago. We broke up six months ago. Things did  _ not _ end well. I haven't seen her since until this moment.” 

“When you’re out to dinner with another ex-girlfriend that you’re begging to play your girlfriend,” Amy added. 

Jake glared at her. “Obviously.” 

Amy reached over and laid her hand on the back of Jake’s neck, trying to look playful. “Well I think this is a hilarious situation.” 

Jake kept playing with her hand, changing his expression from panic to faked devotion. “Well I’m glad you’re entertained, Santiago.” 

Amy had no idea how long they had to keep up the charade. They just continued with little touches that would make it obvious that they were more than just friends. 

A bad idea struck Amy, but she couldn't fight it. She reached over, playing gently with Jake’s earlobe, scratching every now and then. Jake was in the middle of telling a story when his head tilted and his shoulder tensed up, hitting her hand. 

Jake looked at her with a horrified expression. “What are you doing?” 

Amy feigned innocence. “Nothing. What do you mean?” 

“You were playing with my earlobe!” 

Amy continued to play dumb. “And?” 

Jake stared at her in shock. “You were trying to see if that still turns me on,” Jake accused. 

“You really think I’d do that in public?” Amy defended. Jake just stared at her. Amy burst out in nervous laughter. “Okay, I was! But I was just curious and we’re pretending to be a couple so I just did it. I’m sorry.” Jake shook his head at her with shock still covering his face. “I just have one question though. Does it still work?” 

Jake gaped at her. “You do not need to know that!” 

“You’re right, you’re right!” Amy said, throwing her hands up in surrender. She laid one hand back down over Jake’s as she leaned in closer. “But I think you wouldn't have freaked out so much if it didn't still work,” Amy teased. 

Jake was staring at her in horror when his name was called. He turned to look, only to find himself face to face with his ex-girlfriend. He cleared his throat quickly. “Sophia,” he said lamely. 

Amy felt his hand tense under hers. She squeezed it in support. She felt him squeeze back briefly. 

“Jake, I gotta say, I’m surprised to see you here. You never seemed to enjoy fancy places before,” the woman said with a biting tone. 

Jake looked like he was restraining himself from saying a lot. Amy decided to jump in. “I told him I would pay. I had a chance to get a reservation and I begged him to come with me,” she lied. 

For the first time, Sophia noticed her presence. It looked like a new fire had been fueled. “Oh. And who are you?” 

“Uh, Sophia, this is Amy...my girlfriend,” Jake answered awkwardly. 

Sophia looked back and forth between them quickly. “Well, Amy, how long have you known Jake?” Jake rolled his eyes. 

“We actually met in sixth grade. We went all through school together,” Amy replied, sparing a smile for Jake. 

Sophia nodded. “So maybe you know never to expect a proposal. Or maybe you know what deep dark thing in Jake’s past screwed him up for functional relationships.” 

Amy couldn't help but feel guilty as she looked over at Jake. He stared down at the table. She tore her eyes away from him to stare down Sophia. “Well his dad left when he was a kid. That could mess anyone up.” 

Sophia stared at Jake, clearly her anger over their failed relationship still fresh for her. “Well Amy, I just hope you don't invest too much of your time here. Because something there is broken and he’ll just let you down.” 

Amy gaped at her as she stalked away from the table. Amy was hesitant to talk to Jake. His eyes were closed and his jaw was tensed but his hand was still in hers. Amy felt like she had to accept some of the blame for why Jake was “broken.” “Jake,” Amy said softly, hesitantly. 

Jake’s eyes quickly opened and he looked at her. “Amy, it wasn't you,” he said before she could finish her thought. 

Amy fixed him with a sad expression. “Jake,” she tried again. “The stuff she was saying. The proposal and something bad happening in the past...how could it not be me?” 

Jake clenched Amy’s hand in his. “Look, I’ll admit I was messed up over our break up for a while. But I can't blame my issues on you when it was ten years after the fact.” 

Amy nodded, though she still felt guilty. “I just want to say, I know I’m twelve years late with this, but I am sorry. I’ve always been sorry about the way things ended. I mean it was my fault.” 

Jake shook his head. “It wasn't all your fault.” 

Amy laughed dryly. “It basically was all my fault. I screwed it up and I spent years hating myself for it. We were really happy and I messed that up.” 

There was a heavy silence between them. They were no longer holding hands. Amy took a drink of more wine, wondering if she’d done this all wrong. 

“Can I ask something?” Jake asked hesitantly. 

“Of course.” 

“It's just something that always bothered me,” Jake explained. “I always thought we were really happy, solid. And you just said that we were happy. So how was it so easy for you to just drop it all? Just walk away from it and never look back? I mean we were really happy and then we broke up pretty suddenly and you never even tried to talk to me. You were just gone.” 

Amy stared at him in confusion. “Yes, I did.” 

Jake gaped at her. “What?” 

“I did try to talk to you,” Amy said, thinking back on it. “It was I think two days after we broke up. And I was miserable. So I went to your house and Gina answered the door. I told her that I wanted to talk to you but she wouldn't let me in. She said you were too busy being heartbroken and that if I ever cared about you, I’d leave and never try to contact you again.” 

Jake stared at Amy with horror etched on his face. “Are you kidding me?” Amy shook her head. “She said that? She did that?” Amy nodded. “Wow. I’m really sorry about that. That's not at all what I would have said.” There was a long pause between them. Jake took a drink of his wine. “Out of, um, out of curiosity, what would you have said?”

Amy pretended this was harmless conversation but the truth was they were veering toward a topic that was a minefield. “Uh well, I remember that I had a whole speech prepared. Something about how I’d freaked out and how I was wrong. How I thought we should,” Amy paused, sighing heavily, “get back together,” she finished, aiming for nonchalance. 

Jake laughed dryly. “And Gina decided I shouldn't hear that, huh?” 

“To be fair, I didn't recite my speech for her,” Amy added with a grin, trying to lighten the mood. 

Jake looked over at her, shaking his head at her with a reluctant grin. “Well hmmm…” 

“Yep,” Amy replied awkwardly. 

They both took a drink of their wine, trying to think of a topic to bring up that would steer them away from the giant “What if” conversation that was lingering over their heads. Thankfully, Charles finally returned from the kitchen and told them all about talking with the chef. Jake and Amy pretended to be really interested so they didn't have to talk about everything that had happened after Charles left the table. 

\--

Amy, Jake, and Charles were sitting around Jake’s apartment eating takeout, chatting about work when Jake stopped the conversation. 

“I forgot to tell you guys this!” He exclaimed. “Guess who texted me that they’re going to be in town? Rosa!” 

“Oh great!” Charles cried. “We should all get together.” Jake agreed. 

Amy shrugged. “I’m okay. You can count me out.” 

“What?” Jake asked. 

“But it's Rosa!” Charles yelled. 

Amy held her hands up in defense. “Look, I just don't really care to see her.” 

“Why?” they asked in unison. 

Amy rolled her eyes with a sigh. “Okay so I don't know if you boys remember this but I was the one who brought Rosa into our friend group. And then when Jake and I broke up, which, yes, was my my fault -” 

“Amy,” Jake interrupted with a scolding tone. 

“No, it was,” Charles said. “She stomped on your heart.” 

“Charles!” Jake chided. 

Amy rolled her eyes. “Whatever. So Rosa was my best friend besides Jake whose heart I’d just stomped on,” Amy continued her story as Jake shook his head. “And I wanted the comfort of my best friend and she wouldn't take my calls. And I kept trying and she just ignored me at a time when I really needed her. So I can be happy to see Jake all this time later. And I can be happy to see you, Charles, because there was no way you were taking my side. But Rosa should have at least been there for me and I don't care how much time has passed, I don't need to see her.” 

Jake blew out a breath. “Well damn. I didn't know any of that. I would just like to say that yes, I informed everyone of our break up, but I never told them they had to choose between us.” 

Amy laughed dryly. “Aww, thank you.” Jake smirked in reply. 

Charles was sitting there looking nervous. Amy and Jake exchanged glances, wondering why he looked that way. When he noticed them staring at him, he finally spoke. “Okay, Amy, I know why Rosa froze you out. It's a secret I’ve been keeping for  _ years _ .”

Amy and Jake looked at each other curiously. “Well tell us,” Jake prodded. 

Charles took a deep breath. “Gina and Rosa were secretly hooking up and Gina made Rosa freeze you out.” 

Amy gaped at Charles. Jake looked stunned. “What?” Jake cried. “How do you know this?” 

“I...caught them,” Charles said slowly. 

“Oh my God, when?” Amy probed. 

Charles took a drink of his beer. “Do you remember the SATs party junior year?” Jake and Amy both nodded. “Well, while you two were off in another room hooking up -”

“We were not!” Jake yelled. 

“We did not do that when we were all together,” Amy argued. 

Charles sent them a knowing stare. “You can lie all you want but I know what you were doing. Maybe you don't remember because there was a lot of drinking at that party.” 

“Had Amy had four drinks?” Jake asked. Charles shrugged. “Because if so, that definitely could have happened.” 

Amy gasped and slapped Jake’s arm. “Hey!” 

He looked at her pointedly. “Am I wrong?” 

Amy backed down. “No.”

They turned back to Charles but Jake looked back at Amy quickly. “Does that still happen?” 

Amy gaped at him. “You do not need to know that,” she said the words Jake had fired at her a couple weeks before. 

“Oh, like you and my earlobe?” Jake retorted. 

Amy was gearing up to reply when Charles interrupted. “Do you guys even want to hear this story?” 

“Yes,” they both said, turning back to Charles. 

“Anyway,” he said with a sigh. “So I was avoiding you guys for obvious reasons and I went to see what they were doing and...it was the same thing. I got like fifth wheeled at that party. But anyway they told me I could never tell you guys. And I know that it happened until they went to different colleges.” 

“Wow,” Amy breathed. “I can't believe that.” 

“So I think you should see Rosa,” Charles concluded. 

Amy shook her head. “Nah, I’m still not going to.” Both men groaned. 

\--

_ Senior year of high school brought lots of new things to stress over. Essays, college acceptances, standardized tests, things like that. But there were two things that never stressed Jake or Amy out: knowing what they wanted to do or the idea of them having to break up. They were prepared for long distance from the moment Amy was accepted to Brown University and Jake only applied in New York. They also both knew they wanted to be cops. Having these things already decided made it easier for them to enjoy their last year of high school.  _

_ Everything just felt like a victory lap. They’d done it all three times before. The dances, the dates, the stress around midterms and finals. They’d conquered it together three times before and had been fine.  _

_ Graduation came and went with a big joint celebration for Jake and Amy. Basically, Jake and his mom joined the Santiago’s celebration. Everyone was happy for both kids, supporting them in their choice to do a long distance relationship.  _

_ A month before Amy was set to move, everything changed. The dread of leaving had started to set in. She wondered if she really wanted to go to Brown. Rosa was moving out of state and she had no qualms. Amy was full of qualms though. Was she making the right choices? Could she and Jake survive long distance? She loved Jake in a way she knew was bigger than just “high school.” But she still worried.  _

_ Then the fights with her mom began. Her mom wasn't exactly on board with Amy becoming a cop. It didn't matter that Amy had been planning to do that for years. Her mother had seen what Amy’s father had been through on the job, and she didn't want Amy doing that too. She performed long presentations on other jobs that would suit Amy better. As a good daughter, Amy sat through them. In order to appease her mother, Amy agreed not to become a cop. She changed her major before she left for Brown.  _

_ She hadn't told Jake about it. In fact, she hadn't told Jake about a lot of the things she’d been feeling and freaking out about. As far as Jake knew, they were still happy. And they were. But fears were ruining Amy’s perception of everything, even her last days with Jake.  _

_ It was less than a week before Amy was set to move. They were sitting in the park where they’d sat right before they started their freshman year. Jake was chatting about the future, unaware of how much it was unhinging Amy. She tried to participate, but conversation wasn't working for her. She did feel that she needed to tell him her news though.  _

_ “I forgot to tell you this before but...I officially declared my major at Brown,” Amy said weakly.  _

_ “Yeah!” Jake cheered. “Criminal justice!”  _

_ Amy took a deep breath. “Actually, it's going to be history.”  _

_ Jake laughed. “What? History? You’re joking.”  _

_ Amy shook her head. “I’m not actually. I had a lot of long conversations with my mom and we decided I could do a lot of exciting things with a history degree instead.”  _

_ “So your mom decided this?”  _

_ Amy glared at him. “It wasn't all her.”  _

_ Jake stared at her, confusion coloring his face. “Amy, I don't get it. You want to be a cop. You’ve gone on several passionate rants about it in the last four years. Why aren't you following your dreams? Why are you letting your mom talk you out of this?”  _

_ “I mean it's a dangerous job,” Amy reasoned.  _

_ “Sure. But that's doesn't mean you shouldn't do it if it's your dream!”  _

_ “Well, it's already happened, so…” _

_ “Amy, why are you giving up on your dream?”  _

_ Amy looked at Jake, feeling a ton of different emotions. “High school is over, Jake. And some dreams don't transfer to college.”  _

_ Jake scoffed. “Amy, why are you doing this? This doesn't sound like you.”  _

_ “I don't know, maybe i’m just growing up,” Amy replied.  _

_ Jake nodded his head, not looking at her. “So what are you gonna realize you don't need next, huh? Me?”  _

_ Amy moved close to him. “Jake, don't say that.”  _

_ “I love you, Amy,” he said, grabbing her hands in his. “And that means pushing you to do what's best for you. And I don't think this is best for you. You have an achievable dream that you’re abandoning.”  _

_ “It's fine,” Amy replied, brushing it off. “I can make new dreams.”  _

_ Jake seemed taken aback by her statement. Amy wondered how he interpreted it. He squeezed her hands. “Do you know what my dream is?” Amy shrugged. “Marrying you.” Amy smiled, returning the hand squeeze. “Is that still something you would want?” Jake asked. Amy nodded.  _

_ Jake jumped up off the ground, pulling Amy up after him. “Then let's do it. Let’s get married.”  _

_ Amy laughed. She noted his serious face. “What?”  _

_ Jake nodded sincerely. “Marry me.”  _

_ Amy stared at him, completely confused as to where this came from. “And then what?”  _

_ “I’ll come to Rhode Island with you. I’ll find a college around Brown to go to. And we’ll still be together. And I can make sure you don't give up on anything else that means a lot to you. I’ll get a job and I’ll work through school. And if history is your new dream then we’ll go with that. Even though I don't think it is.” Jake squeezed Amy’s hands again. “I mean it. I don't want us to be apart. Amy, will you marry me?”  _

_ To say Amy had been freaking out before was an understatement. She was reaching all new levels. She didn't know why Jake was doing this. Everything was already changing enough. She was moving to a new state, starting a major she hadn't expected, and now he was springing this on her? She couldn't take it. _

_ Amy pulled her hands out of Jake’s. She was shaking her head as tears started to build in her eyes. “I can't,” she whispered.  _

_ “Look I know we’re young,” Jake tried.  _

_ “That's not it,” Amy interrupted. “I just can't do this anymore. I’m sorry, Jake.”  _

_ “What do you mean? You mean us?” Jake asked incredulously.  _

_ “I do...mean us. This isn't working.”  _

_ “Of course it's still working. We’re just about to go through some changes. But that doesn't mean it's not working,” Jake insisted, tears falling down his face.  _

_ Amy pulled herself further away from Jake. “I can't do this. And I have to go. Goodbye, Jake.”  _

_ “Amy!” he called after her.  _

_ Amy ran to her car, tears streaming down her face. Too much was changing but she prayed it was for the best. She couldn't look at Jake as she left the spot that had once filled them with hope.  _

\--

“Jake, I don't get how you forgot your wallet in an interrogation room at work,” Amy said as she followed Jake through the station. 

“You know I can be forgetful, Amy,” Jake insisted. “Besides, I’m not about to ask you to pay for my lunch. So therefore we had to make this stop.” 

Amy was skeptical, but Jake said it would take a couple of minutes. He opened a door, gesturing her in. Amy walked in, confused to see Rosa sitting in a chair on one side of the table. Amy turned around to leave but Jake slammed the door, locking them in there. “Are you serious?” Amy yelled. 

Charles came over the intercom. “Hey, Amy! Look, it's Rosa. You two haven't talked in years. Get to it!” 

Amy closed her eyes, fuming at the idiots on the other side of the mirror. She turned around to see Rosa looking equally pissed. 

“Amy, so I hear you’re hanging out with Jake and Charles again,” Rosa said in an attempt to start the conversation. 

“Yep. So how’ve you been in the last 12 years? Have any more friends you made and betrayed?” Amy asked bluntly.  

Rosa rolled her eyes. “You’re mad at me from high school?” 

“Well it would have to be since I haven't spoken to you since then,” Amy retorted. 

“Damn, Charles. Was this a good idea?” Jake’s voice rang through the speaker. 

“The mic’s on, you idiot!” Amy yelled.

“Amy, you can calm down. We just locked you in a room with someone you didn't want to see,” Charles replied. 

Amy sighed, pulling a chair away from the table to a corner of the room. “So I really pissed you off that much, huh?” Rosa asked. 

“Pissed isn't the right word,” Amy answered. “I was hurt.” 

“Look, I’m sorry. I was 18 and stupid. And Jake came back saying you’d broken up with him and none of us knew what to think,” Rosa explained. 

“So you just froze me out? Thought that was the way to go?” 

Rosa looked regretful. “In hindsight, no. It wasn't the way to go.” 

“Look, I know it's stupid to still be mad about this,” Amy admitted. “But it did really hurt. You were my best friend. Well outside of Jake. And then when I needed you the most, you weren't there.” 

Rosa nodded. “I’m sorry. I wish my 18 year old self was smarter.” 

Amy laughed. “Don't we all?” Amy scooted her chair closer to the table. “So how have you been over the last 12 years?” 

“Oh my God, Jake! We did it!” Charles’s voice announced.

“Mic is still on, dummies,” Rosa yelled. She looked at Amy. “I’ve been good. You?” 

Amy laughed. “Still not a big conversationalist. I’ve been okay. Probably been a lot better since I moved back to New York.” 

“So you hang out with your ex-boyfriend all the time now?” Rosa asked skeptically. 

“Eh, I needed company. He’ll do,” Amy joked. 

“Hey!” Jake yelled through the speaker. 

“It's really not weird, hanging out with someone whose heart you stomped on?” Rosa asked. 

Amy turned back to the mirror. “Is that how you’ve phrased it all these years? Or are Charles and Rosa just dramatic?” 

Jake’s voice came over the speaker. “Can't remember.” 

“That's probably a yes,” Amy said mainly to herself. “Yeah, it's a little weird. But really just because sometimes I feel guilty that we didn't talk for twelve years.” 

“Well you did break up with him,” Rosa reminded her. 

“Yeah, I know,” Amy groaned. “But I was 18 and stupid myself. And I was in the middle of a huge freak out and then Jake proposed and that made it worse and -” 

“Wait, what?” Rosa asked. 

“What the hell?” Charles said over the speaker. The mirror turned clear and Amy could see Jake and Charles. Jake looked pained and Charles looked confused. 

“Did you never tell them?” Amy asked through a grimace. 

“Nope. Managed to leave my shame out of it all these years,” Jake admitted. 

“Oh my God!” Amy yelled. 

“Seriously, dude? You proposed to her? When she was leaving?” Rosa questioned. 

“And why didn't you ever tell us?” Charles demanded. 

“Because I was embarrassed. I figured she’d say yes. Or at least “maybe later.” I didn't expect her to break up with me. And I was ashamed so I never mentioned it,” Jake answered, clearly feeling guilty. 

“I’m sorry, Amy,” Rosa offered. 

“It's okay,” Amy conceded. “Charles spilled your years old secret. And honestly, at 18 if Jake had told me to freeze you out, I’d have probably done it.”

“You told them?” Rosa yelled.

“Only this week! I kept that secret a long time!” Charles defended. 

Rosa shook her head a sighed. “Look do you want to go get a drink?” 

“It's like noon,” Amy reminded her. 

“Yeah, so?” Amy shrugged and nodded. “You losers can come too!” Rosa called through the mirror. 

\--

Jake unlocked the door to the interrogation room and released Amy and Rosa. They weren't best friends again yet, but he was happy they were talking again. Jake went to follow them out of the precinct when Charles stopped him. 

“Okay but why did you never tell me at least that you proposed? That's a big deal,” Charles wondered. 

Jake sighed. “I really was embarrassed. And sad. And I just wanted to forget about it.” 

Charles nodded. “I get it now though. Everything that happened with Sophia.” 

Jake rolled his eyes. “That wasn't why we broke up.” 

“But didn't she want you to propose?” 

Jake nodded. “Yeah, she did but we were never meant to last. Even though I deluded myself into thinking that we could for longer than I should have.” 

“Do you think maybe Amy affected why you didn't want to propose to Sophia?” Charles pestered. 

Jake rolled his eyes, but still gave it some thought. “I guess maybe? I proposed to who I thought would be a sure thing. Why would I risk putting myself out there again for someone I wasn't sure about?” Charles looked at him sympathetically. “And I guess I did think about that because that was when I decided to end things.” Jake shook his head. “She was hinting and I couldn't imagine doing it. I couldn't be sure. So I ended things.” 

Charles smiled and brought Jake in for a hug. Jake groaned. “Thank you for finally being honest with me and with yourself.” 

Jake winced as Charles squeezed him in the hug. “Yeah, okay.” Jake patted Charles to release him. 

They were walking toward the elevator when Charles spoke again. “I guess I was kinda right when I said Amy messed up your relationship with Sophia, wasn't I?” 

“Shut up, Charles.” 

\--

Amy was meeting Jake at Shaw’s on Friday night after a very long week. It seemed like all her weeks were incredibly long. Apparently that was the case when you didn’t like your job. She was digging her wallet out to start a tab when she realized something wasn’t there. “Oh my God,” Amy muttered, rifling through her purse like crazy. “Oh no. Oh my God.” 

Jake stepped closer to her. “What’s wrong?” 

Amy was still digging through her purse. “Ugh, I think I forgot my keys at school.” 

“Well we haven’t had any drinks yet. Do you want to go back and get them?” Jake offered. 

Amy looked up at him, touched by the suggestion to go all the way back to Manhattan with her. “No. By this time the janitors are probably gone too. And since I don’t have my keys, I don’t have my key to the school either. How could I have left them?” 

“Well you can stay with me for the night,” Jake volunteered. “I have a passably comfy couch.” Amy was about to respond when an excited look crossed Jake’s face. “And tonight you can Kylie out!” 

“What? What does that mean?” Amy laughed. 

“You get to be the Kylie tonight. Look, you had a rough week. You forgot your keys. I already have to make sure you get home safe because I have offered you lodging in my home. So I’ll be Amy, you be Kylie. Drink away your week. Have the fun that Kylie never lets you have!” 

Amy stared at him, thinking over the plan. “And you’ll be the responsible one who makes sure I don’t choke on my puke or come onto the cardboard cutout of a clown?”

Jake gaped at her. “Are these things Kylie’s done? I’m going to need a list so I can make fun of her at work.” 

Amy laughed. “Are you sure about this?”

Jake nodded vehemently. “Absolutely. You deserve to blow off steam. I’ll just...pace myself or whatever.” 

Amy smiled at Jake. “Thanks, Jake. I’ll buy your drinks tonight. In exchange for, what was it you said? Lodging?”

Jake laughed. “Deal!” 

And Jake kept his promise. Amy drank heavily that night, ranting about work and life in general. They played pool and darts. Jake was a champ at being an Amy. Amy kept her promise too and paid for the few drinks Jake had. By the end of the night, Amy had probably laughed more than she had in a while. Jake had done a good job of distracting her from how rough her week had been. 

\--

Jake tried to be the best Amy he could be. He was basically supporting the incoherent mess that was Amy as he tried to flag down a cab to take them home. When Amy rested her head on Jake’s shoulder the whole ride back to his apartment, he let her. The biggest struggle was getting Amy from the cab up to his apartment. He managed it though, also getting her to drink a glass of water before she passed out on his couch. 

Jake brushed his teeth and changed into his pajamas before checking on Amy one more time. He stood over the couch and pulled the blanket back up over her. Just as he was heading to his room, she woke up. 

“Jake?” 

He turned back around and looked at her. Her eyes were glassy and she had a sad look about her. Jake crouched down next to the couch. “What’s up?”

She sighed, readjusting her position on the couch. “Do you ever wonder what would have happened?” Jake held his breath. “You know, if I hadn’t freaked out?” 

Jake sat down on the floor next to the couch. He stared at Amy, wondering how to answer this question. He decided the truth was the best. Leaning forward, Jake tucked the blanket up around her more and pushed some of her hair out of her face. “Amy, I’m only going to tell you this because you are quite drunk and won’t remember it.” Amy stared at him with a look in her eyes that he couldn’t readily name. “Yeah, I think about it a lot. I think about what would have happened if I’d fought for you or something like that. I think about where we’d be if we hadn’t broken up.”

Amy nodded. Jake could swear he thought he saw tears in her eyes. “Think we’d have kids by now?” 

Jake chuckled, though still realizing that this was dangerous territory. “I don’t know. Maybe one or two. We wouldn’t have wanted to rush into things.” 

Amy smiled. “Yeah. Probably would have wanted to wait till we established our careers.” 

Jake nodded. “Yeah. Exactly. Even though everyone would have been pressuring us.” 

Amy released a tired laugh. “They would have for sure.” 

Jake couldn’t help but stare at Amy. “It’s probably for the best we avoided all that annoying pressure.” 

All humor faded from Amy’s face. “Yeah. I guess so.” She shifted, starting to turn toward the other side of the couch. “Well, night, Jake.” 

Jake nodded. “Night, Ames.” Amy seemed to fall back asleep pretty quickly, but Jake couldn’t move. The truth was he did think about it a lot. He wondered how things could have gone differently. Could they be a happy family instead of two kids who’d loved and lost each other reuniting years later? No matter how stupid he felt doing so, he’d always compared other women to Amy. 

What did it mean that when Amy was the drunkest she’d been in a while, she was voicing these thoughts? Jake shook himself out of it. Maybe spending time with Amy had been a bad idea. Who would actually think it was a good idea to start spending most of your time with someone you once had an all consuming love for? Logical people would have advised him against it. Well, logical people actually had advised him against it. 

Jake finally stood up and walked back to his room, wishing he could push the “what ifs” from his mind. The biggest “what if” that was plaguing him was “What if I’ve been spending all this time with her because I have feelings for her again?” Jake threw himself down on his bed with a sigh. How was it that he was 12 years older and he still couldn’t get his mind off Amy Santiago. 

\--

Amy’d left early the next morning, saying that she remembered there was a chess tournament at the school and she could get in to get her keys. She’d thanked Jake profusely for his hospitality and for “being a better Amy than she is.” Jake laughed as he saw her out the door, wondering how she was even functioning. He didn’t spend too much time worrying about that though because soon enough his mind was back on the other problem, the realization he had last night. 

He was sitting on his couch, wondering how he’d gotten himself into this again. Jake should have known that if he spent ridiculous amounts of time with Amy, often rehashing the tales from their relationship, that he would fall for her again. She was still wonderful, kind, and caring. She still was just as passionate as she was before only about more logical things now. Anytime she told a story about how terrible work was, he found himself wanting to do something about it. He didn’t honestly know how it took him so long to realize he had feelings for Amy again. They’d probably returned the night at the bar when he’d seen her for the third time and had committed to spending the evening with her. Now it was months later and he felt like a mess over Amy for the second time in his life. 

A knock at his door shook Jake out of his mind. He opened the door to find Charles waiting for him on the other side. “Charles, what are you doing here?” 

“Well, I tried this new coffee place and it was really good so I brought you some,” Charles explained, walking past Jake into his apartment. 

Jake took the cup from him. “So you’re just here to bring me coffee?” Charles nodded happily. “Alright,” Jake replied, dragging out the word. 

“So what are you up to?” Charles asked, looking around the apartment. 

“Nothing,” Jake said nonchalantly. He didn’t know what Charles was planning. 

“Oh no, did I wake you up?” Charles wondered in a panic. 

Jake shook his head, trying to calm down his friend. “Not at all.” Jake swallowed, deciding to tell Charles a bit more. “Amy was here this morning and I got up when she was leaving.” 

“When she was leaving?” Charles asked, plopping himself down on the couch to hear more. 

Jake rolled his eyes and nodded. “Yeah, we were at Shaw’s last night and she realized she’d forgotten her keys so she slept on the couch.” 

“Did anything else happen?” Charles waggled his eyebrows, subtlety lost on him completely. 

“No,” Jake confirmed with a shake of his head. He started pacing back and forth across his living room. “Except…”

“Ooh, except?” Charles prodded. 

“Except I think I have feelings for her again,” Jake admitted. He looked over at Charles hesitantly to see what his reaction would be. To his astonishment, Charles had no visible reaction. 

“Well of course you do,” Charles said easily. “It’s Amy.”

Jake groaned. “No, this isn’t me saying I never got over her. I did. I moved on. I was happy for a while. I thought for a very brief point in time that I would be happy with Sophia. I moved on from my high school relationship,” Jake insisted. 

“Of course you did,” Charles agreed. “But then you started spending a ton of your time with that girl again. A girl that you’ve loved before. A girl that you started liking the day you met her and that you’ve always had a strong connection with. A girl that meant an incredible amount to you.” Charles paused and fixed Jake with a knowing look. He might have had a point. “Besides, I mean I’ve been around Amy too since she moved back. She’s still just as delightful as she used to be.” Jake nodded with a small smile. “Jake, honestly, I’ve been waiting for you to tell me this. I know how great Amy is. And even with all the stupid stuff that went down between you, I’d think it was strange if you didn’t have feelings for her again.”

Jake nodded thoughtfully, sitting down on the couch beside Charles. “You really think so?” 

Charles nodded. He took a sip of his coffee while staring at Jake. “So what are you going to do about it?”

Jake sat back against the couch. “Oh, nothing.” 

“Jake!” Charles chided.

Jake turned to look at his friend. “I don’t know where Amy’s at...you know, emotionally or whatever. And I really like spending time with her. I don’t want to screw that up by being a clingy ex-boyfriend with feelings.” 

Charles tutted softly. “You’re an idiot.” 

Jake gaped at Charles. “Excuse me?”

“I’m sorry, but I say it with love,” Charles replied. He turned to Jake and gave him a pointed look. “Jake, this is a woman that you love.” 

“I wouldn’t say “love” yet, okay? We’re not there yet. You could say “feelings,” even though that sounds kinda dumb,” Jake argued. 

“Whatever,” Charles said, trying to continue. “The point is, you care about her. Don’t you think she deserves to know how you feel? Don’t you think she deserves to know all her options?”

Jake sat there thinking about it. He shook his head. “This isn’t like when I asked her out in high school. It’s not as easy as asking her to Homecoming and hoping she’d say yes. This is bigger. I mean we’re adults and we’ve be apart for years. Who knows if a relationship would work between us as adults?”

Charles laughed. “Okay, I take it back.  _ Now _ you’re an idiot.” Jake glared at him. “You guys spend so much time together. You let her stay at your home and you took care of her while she was drunk. And she’ll pretend to be your girlfriend when you run into another ex.” 

“I still regret telling you about that,” Jake muttered. 

“You guys clearly still have the same chemistry that you had before. You guys have changed and matured but you’re still compatible,” Charles insisted. “Why wouldn’t you want to go for that?” 

Jake paused, thinking about Amy. “I don’t know.” 

Charles patted him on the knee. “Well you should think about it. You guys would be good together. Don’t ruin it by being too scared.” 

Charles stood up, walking toward the door. “Where are you going?” 

He looked back at Jake. “You’ve got some things to think about.” 

\--

Amy was buying Jake dinner as a thank you for taking care of her the night she’d lost her keys. Jake was worried he wasn’t doing much to carry the conversation along. He was still a little lost in thought over what to do about his feelings. Spending time with Amy was not necessarily helpful. 

Amy was elaborately telling some story from college. She and Kylie apparently got into a lot of different hijinx in their time there. Jake hoped he was laughing at the right parts. “Yeah, Providence is a pretty place,” Jake added after a comment from Amy. 

She looked at him with a puzzled expression. “You’ve been to Providence?” 

Jake closed his eyes quickly, remembering that Amy never knew about that. “Umm...once.” 

Amy was still confused. “When?”

Jake sat straighter in his chair, clearing his throat. “Uh, I believe it was spring of freshman year.” 

“So you came with Charles?” Amy asked. 

“What?” Jake asked, shaking his head to try and understand. “How do you know I went with Charles?”

“I saw him,” Amy explained. 

“How?” Jake wondered. 

“Wait, you were there?” Amy asked. 

Jake sighed. “Okay, so I was having a hard time in school which was usually when I started feeling miserable about everything else. And I convinced Charles that we had to drive to Rhode Island and I had to see you. But when we got there I chickened out and I told Charles we should just turn around. I said that if you’d wanted to have anything to do with me, you’d have tried to reach out. Of course, this was before I knew that Gina commanded you not to.” Amy made a sad face, nodding her head. “But anyway, we went to a hotel and stayed the night and left early the next morning.”

“Well at some point, Charles ditched you and he came and found me,” Amy explained. 

Jake stared at her in confusion. “Seriously? You didn’t just like see him from afar?”

Amy shook her head. “No, he came to my dorm and confronted me.” Jake gaped at her. “He told me that I was a bad friend and that I was more heartless than he’d ever have been capable of imagining. He didn’t know how I just ditched you all and ran away, especially you. And that I should know that I was responsible for making a great guy be heartbroken forever.” 

“Wow,” Jake breathed. “I can’t believe that. That definitely went against the theme of the trip.” 

Amy laughed. “Yeah I didn’t really know how to respond. I also was not alone in the room. Kylie’s boyfriend was hanging out in there while Kylie was showering and I think Charles thought that he was my new boyfriend. Because once he spotted him, he got a nasty look on his face, told me I disgusted him, and then spit on the floor.” 

Jake wrinkled his nose. “Eww, he spit at you?” 

Amy nodded in confirmation. “Yeah, I felt like he was trying to channel some movie but I didn’t know what it was.” 

Jake laughed. “Wow. Well he never told me about that. I’m sorry that you had to endure Charles being especially weird.” 

“I mean at that point, I’d seen enough weird sides of Charles to not be too scared by it,” Amy joked. 

“Well haven’t we all?” Jake added. 

They were silent for a few moments as they ate. “We had a lot of near misses, didn’t we?” Amy asked. 

Jake looked up at her. He was sure the same thought was rolling around in her head as it was in his. What would have happened if Gina had let Amy talk to Jake or if Jake hadn’t chickened out and actually seen her? Would a decade have gone by with no contact? Likely not. Jake blew out a breath. “Yeah, I guess we did.” 

\--

Amy had the movie all queued up and beers ready to drink when her phone rang. She looked down to see her brother, Marco’s face smiling up at her. Wondering why her brother would be calling her, she actually answered. “Hey, Marco! How’s it going?” 

“Good!” he said happily. “I have a question. Do you still hate your job?” 

Amy was confused. “I mean, I like teaching history, I just don’t like where I’m teaching. But yes, I would say I’m relatively still unhappy with it. Why?”

“Because I’m going to change your life!” He exclaimed. 

Amy laughed. “How so?” There was a knock at the door, signaling Jake’s arrival. Amy opened the door with a smile, pointing at the phone to her ear. Jake nodded, holding his finger in front of his mouth. 

“Well,” her brother continued, “I was taking your lovely niece to school yesterday when I met the dean of the school, one Dr. Wilson. He and I were talking and he heard Santiago and asked if I was related to you. I said I was. So he asked how his prized mentee was. I told him you were massively unhappy at your job and he told me to tell you that if you ever planned to relocate to D.C. that he would have a job waiting for you! Boom!” 

Amy was confused. “How does this help?”

“Amy, you’d have an awesome job waiting for you here.” 

“But I live in New York,” Amy reminded him.  

“Well, yeah, but you could move. I mean, it’s not like there’s anything keeping you there,” Marco argued. Amy felt her breath hitch. She looked over at Jake opening up one of the beers she’d put out. He smiled at her when he caught her gaze. She couldn’t ignore the butterflies she felt just from that little smile. 

“I mean, yeah, I do,” Amy retorted, turning away from Jake. 

“Kylie’s there, but you guys have lived in separate cities before and you’re still friends. You should take this opportunity, Amy,” Marco urged her. 

Amy shook her head. “I’ll think about it.” 

“Amy, don’t be stupid,” Marco said, annoyance in his voice. “Don’t be unhappy if you don’t have to be. Just come to D.C. At least meet with him. Maybe a move is what you need.” 

Amy was pretty sure that a move was the last thing she needed. And one of the things at the top of the list that she did need was sitting on her couch. Amy closed her eyes and sighed. “I just need to think about it, okay?” 

“Fine. But don’t take too long,” Marco replied. 

Amy rushed him off the phone. She couldn’t argue with her brother that she needed a new job, but she didn’t think one in D.C. was the way to go. Jake jumped up when he heard her say goodbye. He walked toward the kitchen where she was standing. “You okay?” he asked with a concerned look on his face. 

Amy nodded. “Yeah, just a lovely conversation with my brother.” 

“What’s up?”

Amy debated whether telling Jake was the right thing to do. She knew it would hurt if he told her to go for it. “Um, he thinks he found me a new job.” 

“A new job? That’s great,” Jake said excitedly. “You hate yours so good for him for finding you a new one.” 

Amy smiled sadly. “Yeah, the only problem is that the job is out of New York.” 

Jake’s brow furrowed. “How far out of New York?”

“Washington D.C.”

Jake did a double take. “Really?” He swallowed harshly. “Are you thinking about it?” 

Amy shrugged. “I don’t know. He kinda sprung it on me. He’s right though, I do need a new job.” 

“Yeah, but do you really want to move?” Jake asked, a weird tone to his voice. 

“I don’t know. No,” Amy said, flustered. “But his reasoning is that I have nothing keeping me here.” 

Jake’s face hardened some. “Is that what you think?” He stepped closer to her. “Do you really think you have nothing here?” 

Amy sighed. “I-I don’t know.” 

Jake looked pained as he took another step closer to her. “Amy, please don’t take that job. Please. I just got you back. I really don’t want to lose you again.” 

Amy smiled sadly at him. “Jake, with all the social media there is now, you won’t lose me. We can still be friends.” 

Jake reached out, cupping the sides of her face with his hands. He looked down at her intensely. “That’s not what I meant. You know that’s not what I meant.” 

Amy let her hands find his waist. “What are you doing?” 

Jake looked at her lips before looking back up at her. “Hopefully giving you a reason to stay.” With that, he closed the distance between them, kissing her softly. Amy was stunned, but responded quickly, moving her hands around his back. They stood there in her kitchen, kissing slowly, languidly, reacquainting themselves to each other. 

Jake’s hands moved from her face, slowly wrapping her in closer to him. Amy reached up, running her hand through the hair at Jake’s neck. She felt his tongue brush against her lip and she opened her mouth, letting him deepen their kiss. 

Amy lost track of how long they stood there kissing, their hands starting to roam to the same places they used to. Slowly, Jake walked her back until she felt the cabinet stop her. He broke apart, looking down at her, an impossibly wide smile on his face. Amy’s smile matched his as she brought his head down to kiss him again. She felt Jake crowd her space against the cabinets as his hands wound into her hair. Though their kisses had started out slow, they were turning passionate and desperate. 

They broke apart slowly as they came up for air. Amy let her hands linger on Jake’s chest as she stared back at him. He reached up and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “So, um, do you want to watch the movie?” Amy asked awkwardly while panting. 

Jake smirked. “Yeah, maybe we should.” He leaned in quickly and kissed her again, leaning his forehead against hers as he pulled back. 

They made their way over to her couch, sitting considerably closer than they would have originally. Amy was curled into Jake side and as the movie started, he planted a small kiss on her head. She looked over at him and smiled. “Was it obvious?” Jake looked confused. “That I felt this way again?” 

Jake grinned. “Not at all. I was just hoping you did since I did.” 

Amy leaned up and kissed Jake slowly. She broke away with a pleased look on her face. “I do. Have feelings, I mean,” Amy clarified. 

Jake stared at her with a huge smile on his face. “Yeah, I do too.” Jake leaned down and kissed Amy gently, slowly. They kept kissing until there was a loud bang in their movie and it startled them apart. Laughing, Amy curled back into Jake’s side as he wrapped his arm around her. They cuddled together on her couch, variating between watching the movie and making out. 

At the end of the night, it took Jake a long time to leave Amy’s apartment. He was pressed against her front door as they couldn’t break apart. Amy was making sure Jake’s hair was a mess and his hands found their way under her shirt. It wasn’t until Amy moaned into Jake’s mouth that one of them finally pulled back. Jake looked down at Amy. “I need to go. I want to do this the right way, you know? Not just up against your door.” 

Amy laughed. “You may have a point.” She stepped back so Jake had room to open the door. 

He was about to walk through the door when he turned back wearing a concerned look. “Listen, about earlier -” 

Amy reached up and touched Jake’s face. “I’m not going anywhere.” 

Jake looked happy then conflicted. “I don’t want to keep you from doing something that you want to do, Ames.” 

Amy smiled at Jake’s kindness. “You’re not. Honestly. I just moved back here. I don’t want to move to D.C. The idea of a new job sounds nice, but I can find one here.” 

Jake grabbed Amy’s hand. “And you wouldn’t blame me?”

Amy leaned up and kissed Jake hard. She looked at him with a pointed glance. “Not at all. I mean…” she sighed, “This was something that I wanted too.” 

Jake smiled, nodding his head. He kissed Amy one more time before he left. “Night, Ames.”

“Night, Jake,” she said softly, finally releasing his hand. 

\--

**TWO YEARS LATER**

Jake and Amy had been dating again and it had been going incredibly well. Charles had been right; they were still just as compatible as before. Amy was happier than she’d been basically ever. At the end of the school year, Amy had resigned and found a new job. As she was applying, she’d found out that Keith Pembroke had been fired as the principal of their old school. The new principal happily took a look at her resume and offered her the open history job. Once she worked at a school where she was happy, everything just fell into place. 

Two years had flown by in haze of happiness. She and Rosa were friends again. Gina and Amy were back to their surface level friendship thanks to the group that now included Kylie. And Amy and Jake were living together. Never in all the times she’d imagined seeing Jake again had she ever expected that they might get together and be happier than before. And yet, they were. 

Amy was sitting with Kylie at Shaw’s while Jake was over playing pool. “So when are you guys going to get married?” Kylie asked her. 

Amy looked over at Kylie, shocked. “I don’t know. Why?”

“Well you’ve been dating for two years. In your thirties. And you already dated before and you know basically everything about each other,” Kylie pointed out. “I just wondered when that was going to happen.” 

Amy stared at her drink. “I guess I haven’t thought too much about it.” 

“Well do you want to marry Jake?” Kylie asked. 

Amy looked past Kylie to where Jake was standing. He was laughing at someone’s joke when he caught her looking at him. He smiled widely at her. She smiled and waved back. “Yeah,” Amy said softly. “I do.” 

Kylie looked at Amy with an excited expression. “Oh my God, this is awesome.” 

Amy groaned into her beer. “No it’s not.” 

Kylie looked confused. “Why? That was a fast turn around.”

“Because I realized that Jake probably isn’t going to propose to me,” Amy said as she sulked. She looked back at her friend. “Jake’s already proposed to me once and I turned him down.”

“That was in high school.” 

“Yeah, but Charles claims that the reason Jake didn’t ever propose to his other girlfriend was because I messed him up for that,” Amy explained. 

“So why don’t you just do it?” Kylie asked. “You know he loves you. Just do it.” 

Amy looked at Kylie with wide eyes. “Oh my God, Kylie,  _ I _ should just do it!” 

“That’s what I just said.” 

“I know. And that’s brilliant,” Amy cried. She looked over at Jake with a mischievous look in her eye. “Boy’s not going to know what hit him.” 

\--

“Ames, do you really expect me to care about our high school’s football team?” Jake asked as he wandered through the halls of their old school with Amy. “I mean I know you work here, but the only time I ever cared about the football team was when Charles briefly played kicker.” 

“Ugh,” Amy groaned, “And then he called himself an “ath-a-lete” for months.” 

“Yeah, that was not great,” Jake agreed. “But anyway, what are we doing here?” 

Amy took Jake’s hand to steer him away from the hall to the stadium. “I just thought we could take a walk down memory lane.” 

Jake grinned as he looked over at Amy. “You sap,” he joked. Amy smiled, squeezing his hand in hers. “Are you really just taking me to your classroom to fulfill a high school fantasy of hooking up at school?” 

Amy looked at him with a disgusted expression on her face. “That was your thing, not mine. And in no way, will we ever do anything inappropriate in my classroom.” Jake gave her a knowing look. “Because then I’d have to teach in there knowing what we did.” 

“There it is,” Jake laughed. 

Amy stopped in front of the closed door to the library. “Oh look, it’s the library.” 

“Ahh, yes, where you spent countless hours kicking all of our asses at school,” Jake mused. 

Amy smirked. “Damn straight.” She looked at Jake with a sweet smile. “We should go in.” Jake shrugged and waved her onward. 

She opened the door and dragged him in, the lights all off except for fairy lights strung throughout the room. “Whoa, this...looks different. It’s kinda nice,” Jake said softly, adopting a lower voice for the library. 

Amy wandered through the rows of books, hoping she wasn’t being too obvious. Jake just walked right along with her, making comments about memories from when they used the library. Amy tried her best not to pick up her speed when she saw the place she’d picked out to pop the question. Soon enough without her picking up the pace, they approached the table. 

“Aww,” Amy started, “Look, it’s the table.” 

“The table?” Jake asked. 

Amy nodded. She pushed Jake to stand right next to where he was sitting when he asked her out for the first time. She moved back and stood next to where she had been sitting too. “I was right here in this chair and you were right there when you asked me to Homecoming,” she reminded him. 

Jake smiled at the memory. “And you asked me if Gina made me ask you as a joke.” 

Amy laughed. “I did. And then you denied that you were even asking me.” 

Jake rolled his eyes. “I was not the smoothest.” 

Amy smiled. “I think you did just fine.” Jake grinned at her. “It’s where it all started,” Amy mused. Hoping her nerves (or emotions) wouldn’t get the best of her, Amy bent down onto one knee. “And that’s why I thought it was a good place for this.” 

Jake stared down at her, his eyes wide and his mouth slightly open. “Are you -” 

Amy nodded confidently. Jake shook his head and grinned broadly. “Jake Peralta, you are the love of my life. And all I really want is to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?”

Amy swore she saw tears swimming in his eyes. A sly smirk crossed Jake’s face. “No. I want to break up,” he said, unable to hold back a few chuckles. 

“Are you kidding me?” Amy whined. 

Jake grabbed her hands, pulling her to stand with him. “Of course I am. And of course I will marry you.” He wrapped one arm around Amy, pulling her in to kiss her. Amy laid her hands on Jake’s neck, happily kissing her new fiance. 

Amy pulled back eventually. “I don’t have a ring,” she admitted. “I didn’t really know how this was going to work, you know, rings and such.” 

Jake smiled. “That’s okay,” he assured her. He fished in his pocket for something. Pulling out a small box he said, “I have one though.” 

Amy looked back and forth between him and the box several times. “Seriously?” Amy already had tears brimming in her eyes but they began to fall. 

“I was actually going to propose to you at some point. I wasn’t scarred by the last time like everyone seems to think,” Jake assured her. “I was just trying to find the right moment. And then you beat me to it,” he joked. 

Amy smiled at him brightly. “I just figured it was my turn,” she said, wiping her tears away. Jake laughed, opening the ring box to reveal a beautiful and perfect ring. 

“Amy Santiago, will  _ you _ marry  _ me _ ?” Jake asked, grinning. 

“I think you know the answer.” 

“Yeah, I’m gonna need you to say it,” Jake said through a grimace. 

Amy laughed, leaning forward to kiss Jake. “I would love nothing more than to marry you.” Jake smiled brilliantly, surging forward to kiss her quickly before he slid the ring on her finger. 

After kissing a few more times, appreciating the moment between them, Jake and Amy left the library walking hand in hand through the halls where they’d first fell in love. 

**Author's Note:**

> This story has been floating around in my head for months. Literally. And somehow I found the time to sit down and start it and then I couldn't stop. I did not expect it to be this long though.  
> I hope you enjoyed it! PLEASE let me know what you think! I really poured a lot into this one and would love some feedback on it.  
> As always, you can find me on tumblr as three-drink-amy!
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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